Find Authentic Retreats in Tarapoto Peru

"This retreat is not for first timers. You must be prepared to spend two weeks in the open jungle. The place is still in development, the management is improving with new staff. This place is not for the timid or faint of heart. And be prepared to spend days alone with your books and or electronics although those devices are not suggested during your dieta. If you've done aya before and need healing or direction, this might be the place you need. "

"I have come to appreciate my first ayahuasca dieta at the Garden of Peace more and more as each year passes. As I experience the medicine with other groups, I realize how special and gifted Lara, Ashely & the Curanderos are here. I can't wait to go back when the time is right for me. Miss you guys! Other centers just don't compare."

"The Garden of Peace is such a safe, beautiful and harmonious environment to do medicine work on yourself. The team hosting us and our shaman were so accommodating and in tuned with everyones needs. Could have not wished for a better place to start my healing journey with the plants <3"

"I fully and completely recommend ANY retreat at The Garden of Peace. This has been my life and path for several years and from personal experience I can tell you that there's a lot of crazy stuff happening in the world of plant medicine, and dangerous stuff, especially in Peru. But this is a completely SAFE space. Run by knowledgeable westerners with full commitment to the plant medicine path and with deep integrity and huge hearts-- the magical Lara, handpicks the Maestras and Maestros who come, and she's utterly gifted. She also handpicks truly phenomenal support staff. You will be beautifully cared for and supported, and totally safe here. (Tarapoto, the nearest city, is also the safest city in Peru--the locals pride themselves on that.) I was blessed to attend the Women's Retreat with Maestra Reyna in 2017, who is a superb and loving healer. The dieta were amazing, powerful, very deep. And then again during the recent 30 day with Gumercino--holy wow. Phenomenal dieta, powerful powerful healing. Gumer doesn't claim the title of Maestro, but he certainly works like one, and he's the clearest healer I've worked with. Both retreats offered me everything I hoped for, and so much more. The center itself is gorgeously rustic--a beautiful jungle property full of medicinal plants and wildlife, individual cassita, stone steps set in the hillsides, and the Shambo Yaku River to swim and bathe in, as well as safe natural spring water to drink, healthy vegetarian meals cooked with love and care, and a gorgeous maloka for ceremony. But it IS the jungle, not a luxury hotel, and part of the healing experience is letting go of the Western comforts and surrendering to a simple and natural existence. I am in love with the center and all it's beautiful people."

"I went on the 10 day yoga retreat and it was fantastic! I’m not a big traveller and I don’t speak Spanish at all and it was my first solo trip. Lara and her team were so welcoming and kind. The yoga was a great mix with the ayahuasca ceremonies and I have been more flexible in my body even since this trip, which was over 3 months ago. The retreat grounds are beautiful and the solitude is a great reset for the mind. I highly recommend going on this retreat if you are thinking about it!"

"I just completed a 30 day Master Plant & Ayahuasca Dieta at the Garden Of Peace (GOP). The GOP was the perfect place for deep reflection and healing - working with a number of plant 'medicines' over the 30 day period and mother ayahuasca on the ceremony days (I participated in 7 ceremonies over the 30 day period) i was given the space and time to work through my problems. The staff were supportive in the process and the facilities were comfortable and appropriate (especially the meals prepared and delivered every day). The local sharman (Reyna) lead the ceremonies masterfully and helped myself and others in times of need. The medicine was strong and just what i needed. I can't imagine doing such a dieta in an other space. I'll be back! 5 stars :)"

"I have just recently finished a 30 month dieta and the words I will use here will not even come close to describing how amazing and transformative this journey and el jardin de la paz was for me. Theese plants are truly magical and it leaves you stunned, humbled and filled with love and gratitude. You WILL change into an amazing peace of art and music. And if you have any doubts on where to head for your dieta, this is your place to go. The curandera is a mountain of love and stability, combined with a loving and stable crew makes you feel like a star. You feel safe and truly taken care of at the garden of peace. The Mothership Maloka and the huts are situated in the Jungle, and the surroundings are absolutely spectacular, with a river to swim in right in the frontyard, waterfalls, fresh springwater. Eden in the Jungle ;) You do not need to look furthere, this is the place to go. Gratitude, love and blessings to all future participants and to the garden of peace and the lovely people who work there!!"

"The tribe of light workers to gather and the garden are truly beautiful and powerful healers. Sending big love and lots of gratitude"

"What an incredible place - it's so hard to boil down the Garden of Peace into any kind of short, witty, concise review that will express the true feeling of the place. All I can advise, so wholeheartedly, is to go there and experience it for yourself. Set in one of the most beautiful, tranquil and positive energy filled pieces of land I experienced throughout my travels in south america (or anywhere else!), is a place of true learning, discovery, healing, and bold compassion. Lara and all the other incredible people there created a safe and inspirational place that allowed me to discover a new creativity, way of thinking, and understanding of the world around me. Of course I don't have all my answers, but the garden of peace opened up an entirely new perspective to me, one of positivity, peace, and a more tangible truth than I've ever found before. Four months later and I'm back to a life in the western world, while it can be challenging to integrate this new learning into an old life, certain things learnt at the Garden continue to be genuine life lines and sources of comfort and progression. The exploration and understanding of the certain energies have led me to begin a diploma in massage. Annie and Karla provided me with so much excitement and attachment to the glorious practise of yoga, and I now practise regularly, it's a very grounding aspect of my life. I LOVED the afternoon classes about yogic philosophy, mythology, plants, diets, all of it was simply fascinating (why don't regular schools teach this!?!) I'm now considering an MA in 'mythology, cosmology and the sacred'. The delicious and nutritious food left me feeling healthier and happier than I have in a long time! And i know my diet now is better for it! The exploration of Chi Gong and devotional singing added beautifully to the whole experience and have spurred future interests. The Garden of Peace works on a small and personal level; you know who made your breakfast, you see them get up in the morning after a long ceremony, you get to cuddle the dogs, to see the beautiful houses being built on the land, and if you ask for help in your most vulnerable moments (something which can be very hard to do), you will absolutely have it. Thankyou for showing me everything I needed to put my life on a path that I know will be fulfilling and ultimately free. It could so easily have passed me by. Love and gratitude, Maddy X"

"I went on a dieta at the Garden a couple of months ago. And I can not recommend at all to go there. The shaman working there has not enough training nor knowledge to do the dietas in a safe way. I fortunately recently got to do an ayahuasca ceremony with a very highly ranked and extremely competent shipibo curandero and he could finally say what was causing all my difficulties since I was back from the Garden. He said that it was clear that I had been given a very wrong dieta. And this is the cause of the recurrent feelings of being choked at night, of dark energy around me, of all kinds of things going wrong in my life,... Apparently I did a dieta with a certain plant that is very tricky. According to the Curandero I worked with recently you have to be very competent to work with that specific plant because there are over 90 varieties of that plant and only 4 varieties are good for you, the others attract bad things and cause lots of trouble. It is common for incompetent shamans to work with the wrong variety without even knowing about it... I can only say this : DO NOT DO dietas unless you are a 100% sure of the competence of the curandero. Wrong dietas do much harm!! On top of the wrong dieta I must say that during my stay at the Garden the facilitator Lara was not at all what I would expect from a facilitator. She was often in a bad mood, frustrated, stressed out and unfriendly, not even saying hello when she came into the room, I never had any feeling of empathic connection or heartfelt support. Not all like the image she is projecting of herself on social media. Maybe she was going through rough times, but even then it is very unprofessional to take it out on your clients. Bottom line I can unfortunately not recommend this centre at all. Be safe and look for a safe place with truly competent curanderos."

"The Garden of Peace is a beautiful and magically place. The staff is very attentive and available 24 hours a day. And yes they speak English. I did not know exactly what i needed before going however, I received amazing healing. Reyna the shaman was amazing. Lara and Ashley and their staff are wonderful people. I would highly recommend this healing center to anyone in need. I will most likely go again next year."

"What an amazing experience/process! This is the first time I have taken part in a dieta, and the garden of peace turned out to be a very special place indeed. From day 1 I felt like I felt like part of the family. Every day that passed, I felt like I was shedding boundaries and becoming closer with the rainforest, and the team. Don't get me wrong, it was scary at first, being in a hut by the river, spending most days in isolation, but the process became clearer as the days passed. I worked with Chiric Sanango, which really turned the heat up, especially during the second part of the week, but I didn't really understand why I was feeling certain emotions. The team were very much on the ball and guided me through the whole process, even after I left the centre, I had guidance from the team when I reached out. As I write this review, I am exactly half way through my post dieta, and slowly I'm beginning to understand what is happening through this crazy process of working with the master plants. My perspective is rapidly changing and I am already starting to correct many bad habits/patterns that I have been stuck in for years. I can't wait to see how things unfold in the months/years to come.. A massive thankyou to: Lara, Maria, Jason, Hegner, Ash, Cosmo, Mayu and the garden of peace."

"It has been a full year since my master plant dieta at El Jardín de la Paz (The Garden of Peace), and I wanted to take a moment of gratitude to reflect upon how my life has changed. It seems clear that I can separate my life into two categories: my life before ayahuasca and my life after. Though I am a private person, I am driven to share my experience so that others might know more about the incredible healing capacities of plant medicines and deep personal work. I spent much of my young life depressed. While on the outside things looked normal---I did well in school, played sports, took ballet lessons, and even found the initiative to travel and outdoor adventure on my own, these experiences were marred by a heaviness and dis-ease, a sense of being lost, an outsider. I felt I was missing the point, constantly looking for something outside of myself. I was driven in many ways by fear, anger, and self-doubt. Often I allowed others to take advantage of my depression and sensitivity, bullying and belittling me.  While I never thought about ending my life, I often wondered whether this life was worth living. While my depression must have been obvious to those who looked closely, it is interesting to me that nobody---not a relative, friend, or teacher---ever said, "hey Jess, life can be better," which is why I share this with you now. I was stuck in a negative pattern for 26 years, and if you can relate, I believe real transformation is possible.  I spent many years looking for the source of these negative feelings. I meditated, practiced yoga, fasted, and isolated myself in nature. I sought help through various religious and spiritual traditions. Sometimes I blamed my self for my trauma, and at different times I blamed others. Now I have let this searching and blaming go, which was often a way of grasping onto the pain and resisting change. Release and healing are beginning to flow naturally through my life.  In some ways, venturing into the jungle of Peru felt crazy. I told very few where I was going, and hid the truth from my family. I had very little experience with consciousness-altering medicines. In high school I shied away from these experiences, keeping a firm grasp on the "control" I felt I needed to survive. But I trusted my gut, and when I felt a strong call to El Jardin, I didn't waste time.  The dieta itself was hugely challenging. I will leave the it to others to describe working with the plant medicines, but when I left I felt reborn, as if a lifetime of suffering had been washed away and I was free to start anew. The transformation has continued, and though it has been challenging, it is the most worthwhile work I have ever done. I have been strongly triggered this past year, as old patterns give their last death-rattle. I have cried, yelled, feared, and doubted, but with a deeper level of awareness and curiosity as I witness my process. I chose to honor a commitment to a job I had before my dieta, though that job kept me more frozen in old ways of being than I would have wished. Now that this phase of my life has ended, I feel my life and my self expanding like I've never felt before. Before I had lived without living, frozen without even knowing. While before the endless possibilities life offered felt paralyzing, now they seem to offer a juicy adventure. Before I worried constantly about what others thought and said about me, but now feel more of a calm detachment. Before I feared that I wasn't beautiful, capable, or worthy enough. Now those fears are evaporating. Before I feared that I would never be loved. Now my love for my self, friends, and family seems to overflow. I am excited and curious to see what the future holds. I feel less overwhelmed by and more willing to face the sad realities of the ecological and social crisis Earth is facing today. I feel more okay with being a flawed, sometimes-cranky, mortal human. Simply put, I don't want to be anyone else anymore. I am stoked to live my life.  I have such gratitude for El Jardín de la Paz and the profound work that they do there. I am grateful to the native peoples of Peru who share their healing traditions, and pray that they will be respected. I am grateful to Edgar for guiding my experience and to Lara, Ash, and the other facilitators who held space for me in a way I've never experienced before. This medicine path changed my life, and I am sure it will change many more. It is with love and gratitude that I give my unreserved recommendation. With Love,  Jesse Everett Portland, Maine"

"I went to The Garden of Peace for help with PTSD, and some physical issues.... (30 years worth) I researched quite extensively and the evidence suggested much positive gain from ayahuasca. I had the most incredible journey with ayahuasca and afterwards it took me many months to process everything that I had experienced because it is soo different from anything else I have ever experienced and because Mother Ayahuasca threw the book at me, but dang it was a great book. It wasnt easy but I am very grateful for the experience and have had major improvement physically and on all other levels and probably would be completely clear if I hadnt cut my stay short. I was very well cared for by the wonderful team at The Garden of Peace. Thank you Mother Ayahuasca Lara, Ash, Maestro Curandero Hegnar Paredes Melendez, Shaman extroadinaire)..... Arturo, (a rare and gentle soul) and the rest of the team of helpers and healers. it is a magical spot. There is a glorious stream for bathing in and from your hut you will see,hear all manner of wondrous insects, birds and animals and flaura fauna that sings with vibrancy!!!. I sometimes still cant quite believe I travelled all the way to Tarapoto, Peru and stayed on my own in a hut on the edge of the amazon jungle... but I wouldnt have missed it for the world... so special.....words can not really express.... ...and once you drink you see. and once you see you cannot unsee. And truthfully although it is coming up a year since I was immersed in the world of ayahuasca at the garden of peace, I can still feel change and progress unfolding.... and I am so full of hope, not only for myself, but for the whole planet. There are weird and wonderful things at play...... Go find out for yourself....Just do it..."

"Originally, I came to "El jardin de la pz" healing center for one month but stayed for 2 with the blessing of Hegnar (Mestizo Shaman, Ashley & Lara - the amazing staff of people that came to my aid at every turn, considered my situation deeply & didn't turn me away. My intention was to work on a chronic pain condition & some other issues that filled me with great suffering over 10 years & didn't find any medical solution to it in any medical way that I try. What can I say guys - I've healed, grown & learned so much beyond what I came for! All thank's to the sacred process, the people that were there for me 24/7 & the unconditional love! No words that can measure the amount of gratitude I have in my heart for all the above. Though a lot have changed, still have a long way to go before full recovery. So definitely gonna' come back there to continue the work because, honestly, my intuition brought me there for a reason. There are to coincidences! even the fact that u are reading the reviews here is not a coincidence... So For those of u who are looking for a peaceful environment to heal, graceful & caring people, amazing variety of plants & knowledge to work with - don't hesitate, take a leap of faith ;)"

"It is hard to imagine that time - or anything else - exists, here in this silent garden of peace. Days on end pass without the sound of a single voice. From where I lived, I could not see a trace of human habitation: just trees, birds, and the flowing river. Everything is resolved into absolute simplicity: blue sky, green trees, and silence. The perfect enviornment to facilitate deep transformation and contemplation. The support staff provided me with unparalleled love and care at very critical moments when I was in need of help. Hegner, the shaman, is an amazing spirit full of love and compassion and most importantly he knew what he was doing when it came to working with master plants. This was my first experience working with plant medicines and I am glad I did it at La Jardin De La Paz. This truly is a nurturing place that allows one to transform, grow and shine. I will definitely be back again to continue this journey!"

"After feeling a calling to experience something new. I took my first trip to South America to experience the healing Ayahuasca Dieta that is offered by the beautiful souls at The Garden of Peace. I was extremely pleased to be greeted early at the location in Tarapoto that we determined in the email while planning the trip !! Lara and Jo introduced themselves instantly and as the group began to create a bond, the journey started :) Ashley, Lara, Jo and Tristen are the most caring, receiving and helpful humans i've ever encountered. They create a wonderful environment of safety and love during the stay at the center. Hegner is a wonderful Shaman that enables a healing experience unlike no other. Each of the members of The Garden of Peace truly create an atmosphere that cannot be put into words. While you go through the healing journey.. It is most important to have a pure, safe environment of love and light and they truly create it here. I cannot thank all of you beautiful souls enough for everything that is being created :) love and light rj"

"Ok, so my story is a bit different and I’m going to write this review from the perspective of a participant for a potential participant, I’ll keep it raw and real so you can make the right decision for you! I'm working on my PhD and a big part of my research is focused on North American participants traveling down to South America for Ayahuasca healing ceremonies. Prior to coming down to el jardin de la paz, I read a ton of scientific research and watched a few YouTube videos, but I knew if I was going to continue my research I needed to experience the medicine myself. So I found el jardin via an internet search, and going with my gut it felt like the right place, so I booked it, bought a flight and began to prepare for my trek down to the southern half of the globe all by my self!! My friends and family thought I was crazy and some were even convinced I would not make it back. They couldn't have been more wrong. I’ll admit the travel down was the worst part, lots of connecting flights, delays, missed flights...the usual when traveling internationally from the US but I made it safe and sound. There are several reasons that I became interested in the healing properties of ayahuasca: First I'm a cancer survivor (like super bad childhood cancer, chemo, radiation, 5 surgeries, 2 years in the hospital, etc.) so I have some left over physical issues from that, but also a significant degree of emotional scaring that I was looking to heal as well. I remember being so scared and nervous from the time I landed in Lima till I arrived in the jungle and got to my adorable little tree house! Once I arrived, I was met with nothing but love and positive energy, so strong that it actually dispersed most of my fears and anxiety. The people who own and run El Jardin are simply fantastic, but lets just say that I had zero fear of anything bad happening and always felt comfortable and at ease. The only thing that gave me a certain level of anxiety was getting up and down the trails with a bum leg (I had recently had an Achilles tendon lengthening surgery, so my cat like prowess was not 100%). Which brings me to an important point, if you have physical issues that limit your mobility, please, please do yourself a favor and let them know in advance. Have a discussion with Ashley or Laura, if they can accommodate you they will, if it is not going to work they will let you know that also. I slid down the hill one morning on the way to the toilet and Ashley built an extended rail to help me, that’s the kind of love that you get at el jardin de la paz. Be prepared for an extreme experience, from the first day ‘tobacco purge’ to the daily plant dieta to the ultimate full ayahuasca ceremonies. I went in thinking I knew everything only to quickly learn that all my ‘research’ taught me nothing about the true depths that this medicine can take you to. My retreat was from June/July 2016, and my life continues to change for the better everyday. Hands down this was one of the best things that I’ve ever done for myself, in fact I’m bringing one of my best girlfriends from high school and we are coming back next year. I will not even consider attending a retreat other than el jardin de la paz, because they are truly the best!!"

"My time at The Garden of Peace taught me more than I could have expected to learn, and I knew before I left that I would return again in the future. I cannot emphasize enough how BEAUTIFUL the energy of the land and the people who facilitate it are. Absolutely beautiful- to the point that I have cried multiple times since returning home to Massachusetts 2 months ago, simply because I miss the peaceful, pure, loving energy that you're immersed in at El Jardin de La Paz. Before my time there, I didn't even truly understand what it meant to feel different energies in this way..but upon returning home, the difference in how I felt in my surrounding environment made me realize that what I was experiencing was a difference in the energies around me. As for the people: Hegner, the ayahuasquero, is the real deal. I feel this is incredibly important to note right off the bat, because there are a lot of warnings to be cautious of who your shaman is-finding the "right" shaman, and making sure they are pure and coming from a place of love rather than looking to make money. I trust Hegner 100%. And this comes from a personal experience during my hardest ayahuasca ceremony where I felt unbearably sick for over 2 hours, and COULD NOT throw up. It was like having food poisoning and not being able to throw up- absolutely miserable for over two hours. I tried during those 2+hours everything I could think of to make my body purge whatever it was the needed to come out, but I was not successful. I tried talking to it-saying it was safe for it to come out now, it was safe to show itself and to be released from my body. I tried moving my body in positions that would trigger me to throw up. I tried just completely relaxing into it and doing breathing exercises, surrendering to it..nothing worked. Finally, out of desperation, I yelled (in my head, NOT out loud!!!) "Help me, PLEASE. SOMEBODY. HELP ME GET THIS OUT OF MY BODY. PLEASE." ...within 30 seconds, Hegner was behind me. He blew three times on the back of my neck, and immediately a sense of relief flooded over my entire body and I started crying. And then I didn't stop crying for the next 2 hours or so, but the nausea and the sickness were gone. I realized that what I needed to purge wasn't physical..it was emotional. I was releasing emotions I had been suppressing for YEARS. YEARS!! It was the most intensely healing experience I have ever had, and by far the most profound ceremony of my dieta. The point of this is that Hegner KNEW..without my needing to ask for help out loud, that I needed help and triggered the release of those emotions. He was behind me IMMEDIATELY after I called for help IN MY HEAD. And that, to me, showed me that he truly has control over the space that he holds, that he is capable to holding that space for participants in the ceremony, and that he is a true healer. Lara is truly a Goddess. An absolutely beautiful soul, providing a soft and loving..yet very powerful, supportive, stable presence. As a woman, her presence in the ceremonies and as support throughout the dieta was comforting and reassuring for me. This is something I didn't truly appreciate until after I came home and reflected on my experience, and having her provide me with intense insight after arriving home when I reached out to her on multiple occassions with questions regarding my feelings, extreme fatigue, and some scary meditations during my post-dieta at home. Arturo provides such a light, happy, loving energy that you can't help but smile when he's anywhere near you. His passion and LOVE for life is SO evident, and it's contagious. While working with ayahuasca and the master plants is serious work, and it can be very intense and tough at times...Arturo provides a perspective that reminds you that all things return to love. And that is how he lives his life; from a place of love, always. I could not imagine my first dieta without Arturo's presence- I feel he is a crucial piece of the puzzle at El Jardin de La Paz. A lot of my lessons and realizations didn't come until after I returned home, and I am still recognizing lessons and feelings of significance that stem from my dieta as time goes on. I think this is a very important thing to understand as you go into your dieta- your lessons DO NOT end when your dieta ends. They continue. And this is something I thought I understood before leaving for Peru...but I didn't truly own that knowledge and understanding until I experienced it for myself. I'm sure that will be true for others who are entering their first dieta as well, but I feel the need to re-iterate this fact anyway. lol. Stay open! :) Truly life-changing, and not in the ways I expected. <3"

"My experience at El Jardin De La Paz was out of this world amazing! Nothing short of pure magic! I had high expectations, as my Wife completed a 10 day dieta here in Dec. of 2015 and felt exactly the same when she came home. The level of healing she experienced on all sides, mental, physical, spiritual was truly inspiring, and it continues to this day. I just had to experience it, and am so happy I did. Now, when I mention the “experience”, I’m talking about the whole thing, from your first interactions with the staff before you leave your home country, to the minute you’re picked up from the eclectic café in Tarapoto to the moment you take your first step out of the gate when you leave, through the post-dieta and beyond. Every single person from El Jardin defines the phrase heart-centered. You feel like family from the first moment engaged, and it’s 100% genuine. It’s not just a manufactured feeling…we really are all family now, and that is the way it’s supposed to be with healing of this nature, and especially these plant medicines. Throughout, the level of care and love put into every little part of the experience really is mind-blowing, not even exaggerating. Make no mistake though, this is hard work and what you experience here is the real deal, with nothing held back. It’s full-on. But that is what you go for, not something watered down. Real healing, and real deal heart, mind and soul expansion and metamorphosis is needed and at El Jardin, you will get it, along with so much love and light it doesn’t seem possible. The property itself is just beautiful beyond belief, with extremely diverse vegetation every single place you look. The river is at the level of a fantasy, with a sandy, pebbly bottom and it pools between large rocks and cliffs for perfect places to soak. To sit in that river, in a natural configuration of rocks more comfortable than the best reclining chair while the healing energy of the water rushes over you, while you stare up at the canopy of the jungle with so many birds, butterflies, and huge trees towering over you is happiness defined. No words to describe it. The wildlife is so perfect, and delicate with gorgeous butterflies of all colors, hummingbirds, small monkeys making their way through the trees in the morning, etc. Many of the butterflies are as big as small birds! In ceremony is where the magic makes itself known, the music, icaros, and positive uplifting, enlightening energy are the perfect, yet simple soul stirring complement to the complexity of strong medicine. And make no mistake, the medicine is strong! Yet the pure intention with which it’s created is very obvious. Seriously, I could go on forever I think! But I won’t. El Jardin De La Paz is a place where you will not only feel safe but actually be safe, loved, cared for, and amazed again and again. If you’re serious about traditional Amazon dieta, and truly desire a heart centered, metaphysical, healing experience with love and oneness at it’s core, you simply cannot go wrong with El Jardin De La Paz. Thank you so much Ashley, Hegner, Jo, Lara, Jeremiah, Arturo, Niesha, Rhonda, Mayu, Cosmo & Zeus and everyone involved that are now extended family! So much love always. Can’t wait to come back"

"El Jardin de la Paz, a little slice of heaven on earth. located around 90 mins from tarapoto, you will be picked up by 4x4 and slowly climb the mountains until you reach its gates. there we were welcomed by lara, asheley, jo, niesha, jeramiah and arturo, who are amazing in every possible way. we settled into our casitas which over looked the vibrant jungle. everyday we were brought food by Jo which was cooked with huge amounts of love and energy to keep us strong. we were able to wash in the beautiful river that runs through the land and after each ceremony Arturo prepared us a lovely flower bath which was one of the best bits of the retreat. the ceremonys were guided by Hegner, who has an incredible power and presence both in and out of ceremony. He made us feel incredibly safe and mid ceremony we were brought up for a cleansing of the soul which was incredibly powerful experience. Throughout the entire ceremony the volunteers sang ikaros and their own songs of choice which was unbelievable, Ashley often brought out his guitar, harmonica, or flute and sang beauitful uplifting songs about love, harmony and being one, he is easily one of the most talented people ive ever met! It was the hardest and best exprience of my life but the volunteers made it possible with all the love and help they gave us along the way. Fate brought us to El Jardin de la Paz and each and every person we met there has a little place in my heart. It wasnt just the medicine alone that healed me but all the amazing people who are so aware and knowledgable of this incredible plant. The land is sacred, the people are divine and if anyone is looking for healing, love, and self realisation this is the perfect setting for it! Every single sacrifice made for this was more than worth it!"

"So much joy and gratitude/appreciation/humility/awe & amazement in my heart for these special people doing amazing work in Peru at El Jardin de la Paz! I don't even have sufficient words to express the gratitude I feel for how you've cared for My husband these past 10 days and me back in December! RESPECT, HONOR, LOVE and all thing wonderful to you my brothers and sisters! Ashley Avery, Lara Charlotte, Jo Bennett, Hegnar, Arturo, Tristan! We will be back again and hope to continue creating positivity in this world!"

"In august-september 2015 I spent 10 days at El Jardin de la paz-The garden of peace in the amazon jungle. This place really lives up to it`s name- The Garden of Peace, as that is excactly what it is. A place to be at peace and heal both mentally and physically. In these beautiful suroundings with these beautiful people, you have all the help and all the tools you need to either start a transformation in your life towards a healing path, or continue an already ongoing transformation. The setting in this place is all about making you feel safe and cared for,to be able to do the work you need to do on yourself. They work in small groups, which I can say from personally experience is a very important key to get the best results. Even after the retreat they will keep in touch and help you if you have struggles. For me that has been a great support. I have been to other retreats, but this is by far the best one, and the reason why i am going back in 2016 to do a longer Dieta for a month with Master Plants and Ayahuasca."

"I have been to several dietas at The of Peace in Peru and they all have helped and healed my life. The people here take their work very seriously. The place is no vacation. The ceremonies and plant medicine are serious business. The accommodations are very nice as well with individual castitas to maximize your reflection and meditation time. Also post dieta diet for at least 30 days is strongly suggested as well. So ir you are a person who take plant medicine seriously and want a life changing experience I highly recommend El Jardin de La Paz."

"I attended a 2-week ayahuasca retreat between November 19th and December 2nd, 2015 and was really impressed with the overall operation they are running there. The location is beautiful but what made the experience so special was the caring people involved and their positive intentions throughout the retreat. It was the fifth location that I had drank ayahuasca at and also the one that I feel I went the deepest with the medicines. Their shaman is very experienced and the ayahuasca brew was strong. I liked how they used master plants and also stressed a strict dieta throughout the retreat. I believe that both of those factors helped the medicine go deeper and allowed for more benefits to be realized."

"El Jardin de la Paz was everything I never knew I needed in a retreat. The secluded location was tranquil and serene, qualities necessary for the kind of inner work we need to do during dieta. The shamans, volunteers and guests were carefully chosen, which made me extremely comfortable to be there; there was never a moment that I questioned my decision. The actual dieta was exactly what I needed, personally, and will be different for everyone. For me, it was transformational. Bottom line, I would definitely go again. Actually, I plan to go again the next time I feel the call."

"I dieted at the Garden of Peace a few months ago. It was my first real diet in Peru and I have since been to several other centers and dieted quite a bit so I wanted to leave a review here that was after I had some comparison experiences. The Garden is special. You feel it the minute you walk through the gates. The facilitators Ashley and Lara are knowledgable, caring and completely there to help guide you through the most intense process you may ever have the opportunity to experience in your life. Maestro Hegnar is hands down one of the strongest healers I've worked with in Peru. It was no accident that he ended up at the Garden, we gringos need healing and he is there to help. If you are Peruvian and reading this, you too! :) The jungle setting is your first line of healing...just being there starts your reconnection. The medicine is the kind of medicine that is healing every time, you aren't just tripping balls. The plants are willing to connect there, I heard a spirit radio of sorts after a couple of days...the plants attempt at teaching me my first icaro. What an experience I hope others have in their own way. The food...is not completely traditional, in my opinion it is yummy veggie food, but it is super strict and may be difficult for some but you will have enough and you will not starve or become malnutritioned in the 10+ days you are there anyways so let that be a non issue. The accommodations are rustic but so beautiful. The river below is beautiful music to drift off and wake to. I cannot recommend The Garden of Peace more, they didn't have 6 stars. I cannot wait to get back for another diet later this year!!"

"I spent 17 days at The Garden of Peace in June 2015. The retreat is located about 90 minutes from Tarapoto, along a rutted dirt road, which adds to the authenticity of the experience. The retreat centre itself is located in beautiful, peaceful surrounds with a river running right through the middle, and natural spring water on demand. The people who run the retreat are very passionate about the healing benefits of ayahuasca, the dieta, and the specific plant medicines chosen for you. The food is a little on the meager side, but made with love. The tambos (huts) are amazingly all built by hand by those who run the retreat. I wouldn't describe it as a fancy resort experience by any means, but the love of the people who work there is what makes this place special. I took one star off because i felt the website that directed me to the retreat was slightly misleading as to the real experience, which is still a very worthwhile experience (just not what the website portrays). I guess my main issue with the website was that it portrayed a more luxuriant experience, and didn't focus on the real aspects of value at the retreat."

"I have suffered with headaches every single moment of every single day for 5.5 years. In addition to headaches the good Lord saw fit to bless me with chronic fatigue syndrome and cloudy thinking at the same time. I have had surgeries, medications and a host of holistic treatments but nothing seemed to help that much. I went to over 40 Doctors with a host of specialties and had little success.......Long story short all that is gone and I am healthier than I have been in 7 years since my health crashed after spending 50 day at Jardin de la Paz. Jardin de la Paz is a beautiful center located about an hour from Tarrapoto in the jungle. From your open-air hut you can often see monkeys, tropical birds, a pristine river and a host spectacular butterflies. The huts are simple yet comfortable, but this definitely is not a resort. There is no running water, no electricity, no telephone service (you can get it nearby if you really need it), no internet and of course no air conditioning. However I believe that this disconnection from technology is as much a factor in the healing as the medicine itself. The ability to drink fresh spring water, the cool refreshing water of the river nearby, and of course the beautiful lush jungle itself more than make up for any lack of amenities. As far as the staff goes Carlos and Juan are both powerful healers who come from a long lineage of healers. They also happen to be brothers which makes them even more powerful together. The support staff is excellent Ashley is gifted healer in his own right, an excellent facilitator and a phenomenal musician. Laura prepares some amazing food (by dieta standards) and always has some helpful advice. Tristan though not mentioned on the website also leads some powerful seminars on visualizations that I found very helpful and his Zen attitude is highly contagious. All the support staff join the Shaman in creating powerful Icaros (healing songs) that facilitate healing further and are very beautiful. On a personal note many people find the most challenging part of the retreat the time in solitude in their private hut. I found the most effective use of this time for me was a meditation technique called the Sedona Method. Also useful was the Meta loving kindness meditation as well as gratitude meditations. I highly recommend learning some of these or similar techniques before you go. Ayahuasca is a powerful medicine and no doubt this center is a good one but you have to be willing to do the work or the results will not last. As Einstein said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results." Peace and Blessings, -Gabriel Saenz"

"The dieta was a totally physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually cleansing experience. The Shamans were professional and very kind. Ashley, Lara and Tristran really know their stuff and have an energy that just helps the process. It is not just about the plants, it is the intention, the location, the people, the energy and the whole process comming together to create healing. I could have done without the sandflies thought - but it is in the Jungle and being part of nature was an experience in itself. Thank you. If you feel the call totally GO!!!! Love : Sunshine from South East Asia"